There is good news for the Visakhapatnam Railway Station which we cannot wait to share. Passengers travelling to and from the railway station will now have the convenience of 2 escalators that are to be constructed by October end. The funds have been sanctioned by the Railway Ministry and the work will commence soon. The escalators will come as a welcome relief to a railway station as busy as Vizag’s. It is a priority on East Coast Railway list with Vizag being the biggest in the north coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The festive season is coming up and the foot falls are expected to increase to one lakh passengers per day from 35,000 to 40,000 passengers on regular days. 118 trains route via Vizag railway station every day and the capacity with the current infrastructure is very chaotic.
The existing lift facility and the escalators for platforms 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 are grossly inadequate. Add to this, the fact that the escalators remain closed due to defects several times. They were established in 2015 and as per latest sources are closed pending repairs.
The case of senior citizens travelling or patients in weak health travelling to and from the railway station cannot be ignored. It is a struggle for them physically and the required infrastructure is inadequate. The walkway is used with a few wheel chairs but that also is absent for many. Capacity requires immediate measures.
2 more escalators for platform number 1 and 8 are under production and are expected to get ready by the end of October.
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